A subway ride away
by Ashdo
Summary: My take on 5x02, or what's missing from the episode (How Santana and Dani got together). "You don't know what Rachel told her, but Dani has been throwing glances in your direction ever since they talked. You're kind of grateful, but slightly annoyed that you can no longer indulge in the shameless staring you were excelling at." (one-shot but could lead to more)


**This is my take on the first Dantana episode (5x02), as I tried to fill in the blanks glee created between their first meeting and the "girlfriend" comment. I mostly follow what canonly happens in the episode (except for irrealistic situations and the absurd biphobic discussions). **

**There is also a slight hint at Faberry because I'm a faberry shipper at heart, but it's very very subtle and can be overlooked. I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

You first lay eyes on her on a Monday night. You know she must be new here because you don't remember ever seeing her at the diner before. And let's be honest, you'd remember. You feel slightly embarrassed for not being able to stop staring at her throughout the whole shift. You honestly haven't seen anyone so beautiful in a quite a while. She's all flowy hair and shiny smile, and holly shit, those eyes… You seriously feel like a creep when the morning comes because you're pretty sure you'd remember her features in details with your eyes closed. That night, you leave the diner with Rachel in tow without even saying hi to her, annoyed at yourself for being such a coward.

You spend the whole Tuesday having this inner pep-talk, reminding yourself that you're hot, that you're Santana fucking Lopez and that pretty girls do not intimidate you. You haven't felt this weirdly vulnerable since discovering your early feelings for Brittany. You make a promise that by the end of the night, the unknown gorgeous waitress from the diner will know your name.

Her name is Dani, you realise after meticulously scanning the employees' board in the staff room. You haven't met anyone with that name before and you love that, for some reason. By midnight you see her and Rachel talking by the condiments rack. You can't hear the conversation but Rachel seems to be into one of her intense monologues, her hands all over the place. Dani, on the contrary, has this laid-back collectedness about her that drawns you to her even more. You're kind of jealous of the fact that Rachel will have talked to her before you do.

You don't know what Rachel told her, but Dani has been throwing glances in your direction ever since they talked. You're kind of grateful, but slightly annoyed that you can no longer indulge in the shameless staring you were excelling at. You not so subtly avoid her gaze everytime your eyes meet and you want to beat yourself up for having zero game. God she's so pretty! You have no idea if she is even remotely into girls but you have a feeling she might be because who just looks insistently at people like that if they're not at least slightly interested?

When Rachel comes to you and shares her worries about Fanny (the pun is not lost on you), you want to ask her about Dani so so bad, but you end up showing her your lame Yeast-I-Stat advert instead. You still manage to pry some info away and Rachel supports your "lesbian hypothesis" by telling you she got a gay-vibe from Dani too. You're really not sure you can trust Berry's gay-dar, but you're fairly certain yours was pretty accurate the last time you checked.

Soon enough, you summon the courage to actually talk to her by throwing a remark about the ketchup pourers. You are so clumsy and lame you feel like a middleschooler all over again. She doesn't seem to mind you being absolutely ridiculous though. "I'm Santana, by the way", you manage to add after your brief exchange. "I'm Dani", she answers._ I know_, you want to add.

You have no idea how to broach the "gay" topic. As the conversation starts running short, you feel your chances decreasing and decide to just go for it. You utter some absurd sentence about how you dig her "boy" name before asking if her parents had known she'd be a lesbian. As if having an androgynous name would for some reason have anything to do with that… You don't have time to chastise yourself over this lame intervention, as she states with an extreme poker face that she isn't a lesbian. Crap. Like a deer caught in the headlights, you babble some nonsense about how she's wearing so much eye-liner you got misguided. Real smooth, Lopez. She eventually cracks a smile before revealing she indeed "loves lady parts". She tells you that Dani is short for Danielle and lets you know about her story and especially her conflictuous relationship with her parents. You can't help but notice little things about her now that you're so close; like the dimples on her cheek and chin, or her insanely long eyelashes. You tell her about your parents and briefly mentions Brittany before she casually asks whether there's any chance you and her ever get back together. She seems more than enthusiastic at the negative answer you give her, and her little comment about you needing a "100% Sapphic Goddess" takes you by surprise. She is now very openly flirting with you and you feel so nervous your palms and the space between your boobs (don't ask) get all sweaty. You smile and stutter over some stupid excuse to get away for a minute and compose yourself. Damn, you've become such a loser.

You bump into Rachel (or she more accurately pounces upon you) who had apparently been watching the whole exchange like Big Brother and is now absolutely ecstatic at the prospect of you and Dani becoming a "thing". You still feel so shaky and nervous and sweaty you start rambling about how freaked out you are:

"I've never been with a girl with that much experience before! There's been Brittany, and college girls trying to experiment like Quinn!"

Her face freezes for a second, but you go on:

"And she is so confident and all...What if she thinks I suck?!"

"-Wait. You slept with Quinn?" she adds, her expression unreadable.

"Does it really matter right now? I think I might like her, and it's terrifying."

"Listen, Dani seems to be a smart girl. And if she's a smart girl, then she's not gonna miss out on an opportunity to go out with someone as amazing as you."

Her tone is somewhat bittersweet, although you don't really get why. She squeezes your arms once before walking away towards the counter, and you ponder what she has just told you as you go back to work.

At the end of your respective shifts, Rachel makes a point of leaving ten minutes early to let you and Dani "finish alone". You feel both excited and incredibly nervous at the idea of being left alone with her. Rachel is gone before you can really protest. The sun is now up and you're so very tired, and on any other day you would have rushed home to tuck yourself into bed, but you wait for Dani to gather her stuff and leave the diner at her side. She is carrying a guitar on her back and you wonder why she brought it to work.

"I play in the subway most days to earn some money, and I go to work right after. So I always carry it around."

She tells you about her struggles, living in NYC without any financial help from her parents and you feel slightly ashamed at the fact that your parents make it so easy for you. Ok, you have to work at the diner to make extra money, but you hardly ever pay for your own food, for instance. And your parents also pay half of the rent for your third of the loft.

You walk towards the nearby station in comfortable silence, both exhausted from your nights. She conveniently lives a 15-minutes subway ride away from you, in a tiny flat she has for herself, she tells you. You try and picture it in your head, but you realise you pretty much know nothing about her.

The train is rather empty at this hour, which you're grateful for every day, and you sit next to each other on the jump seats. Your arms brush and your shoulders bump with every turn the train takes and you see her smirk from the corner of your eyes. Her station arrives too quickly for your taste.

"So… this is where I get off", she tells you.

Your mind goes straight to the gutter but you stay composed, simply answering:

"So, this is goodbye, then?"

"For now."

You smile at the answer and she leans in, tentatively grazing your lips with hers. You're somehow startled by this kiss you did not expect. You reciprocate however, your lips lingering over hers for a second before she breaks the contact as the warning for the imminent departure resonates in the station. She quickly jumps off the train and smiles at you as the doors close, before briefly waving you goodbye. Soon the train starts again, and she's gone.

You arrive home twenty minutes later, a giddy smile on your face, and end up face to face with a sleeping Rachel, spread out on the couch. She was probably waiting for you to tell her what happened and fell asleep as she waited, you realise.

You fall asleep to the thoughts of Dani, and that kiss you shared, and how you wish to share many more.

* * *

The next day you try your best to look casual and somewhat detached from the whole thing; however you soon drop the act as, after scrutinizing the place for the first twenty minutes of your shift, you realise it's probably one of her days off. Rachel, who apparently knows the work schedules of everyone in this diner, confirms your suspicions. She has been acting especially weird since the other day , and you don't understand why she is suddenly wears this longing and sad expression on her face half of the time. You guess she must be mourning the part of Fanny? You don't really take the time to dig into it or be as nosy as you would usually be; you have other things on your mind.

When you go back home together, you feel her eyes on you through the whole subway ride. She is unusally fidgetty.

"What?" you end up asking. You sound tired.

"No-nothing."

Whatever. Your former self would have never let it go, but you seriously just feel like collapsing on any horizontal surface right now.

You finally see Dani at the diner the day after, and fuck it feels like you haven't seen her in so long. You feel rather pathetic for missing her when nothing barely happened. She is all smiles and subtle hand-brushes and you seriously melt a bit more every time you two make eye contact. You don't have the opportunity to talk much that night, but you enjoy the distant conversation you two are sharing through body language. This is your last night shift before the weekend and you're dying to take her on a date the next day if she's up for it. You both have seriously been putting the cart before the horses at this point with all the flirting going on, and you seriously think you need to seat down, have a drink and get to know her. You don't want to be U-hauling after a week like proper lesbians to then discover she's some sort of psychopath. Or something.

You realise you don't even have her number. Truth be told you don't even know her last name. Rachel probably does. She's become your personal secretary since you moved to New York. Dani, Rachel and you walk together to the subway station after you finish. For some re son, Rachel's makes it easier for you to act normal (or at least not as goofy) because you still have a reputation to preserve. You're not one to act like a fool in public. You all share an easy banter and you take great pride in managing to make Dani laugh a few times with your wit and sarcastic comments. She is actually the one who asks for both your numbers before she has to get off the train, hugging you both before leaving. God she smells so good, you want a piece of that fruit… Ok, so you're horny. It's been a while since you had any physical intimacy with a girl (or with anyone, for that matters). She squeezes your hand purposefully before she actually jumps off onto the platform, sending tingly feelings absolutely everywhere. Damn, you're already so whipped…

When you wake up that afternoon, you gather up the courage to send her a text.

_Would you be up for some food at mine maybe tonight? Nothing fancy. Just take outs or something. xo Santana_

You can't help feeling utterly awkward as you send it. You actually never had to ask someone you barely knew on a date via a text before. Well, not girls at least. The boys you've dated at McKinley barely count, and Dani is a totally different story anyway. Would that even be a date? You basically invited her to your place, which is also Rachel and Kurt's, and this could all go very wrong, but you're both broke and at this point you just really want to spend some time with her. She answers about 30 minutes later:

_Alright just forward me the hour and the address, and I'll be there ;)_

It's 7:30 pm and she should be here any minute now. You don't want to admit you spent way too long getting ready, changing outfits a good dozen times. Rachel eventually helped you choosing one after she "deigned" putting an end to the skype conversation she was having with Quinn. They've been skyping a lot these days.

As you wait for Dani to arrive, you're boiling inside but Rachel actually looks even more ecstatic than you do. Apparently, she really wants you two to work out. You kind of bitch after her for not having anywhere to be right now, but are infinitely grateful that Vogue is keeping Lady Hummel busy until very late tonight. Rachel promises she won't stay around too long or spy on you. Sure.

It's the first time you see Dani out of her uniform and holly shit she's so hot. Your throat goes dry but you remain composed as she hands out a bottle of red wine. You're unsure how you two are supposed to say hi given you've technically kissed before, but she goes for a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek and well, you're happy with that. Rachel scurries from behind you to properly welcome Dani into what is actually more her place than yours. Her smile is so bright you're scared her jaws will cramp.

You three decide to go for Thai food, and you pour some wine into each of your glasses.

"Dani is so pretty and fun, Santana, you really have to make it work! If someone is going to end up sharing your bed half of the week I want it to be her." Rachel tells you after Dani went to use the bathroom. Well, that's settled then…

Rachel leaves you two after she finishes eating and you suddenly feel even tenser. Dani, on the contrary, looks super comfortable as always. You two settle on the couch with another glass of wine, and then a third. You're way past tipsy as you learn that she is 21, has an older brother, is a dog person, initially wanted to study law, has weird cravings for pineapple, rarely wears matching socks and enjoys Project Runway marathons. You struggle with all these new pieces of information as your sight gets slightly blurry and your brain only finds the strength to focus on her very daunting lips. She gets closer as you both get more familiar with each other, subtly playing with strands of hair and brushing your hands and arms every so often. She seems so confident and bold you're surprised she hasn't kissed you yet. The insecure part of your brain could think that she is not that into you after all, but at this point it is blatant you're both super attracted to each other and you're not that oblivious to all the "not-so-little" signs. After all, she is not the only expert in flirting.

You ask her if she wants you to open another bottle.

"I'm afraid if we keep drinking I'll never leave" she answers with a smirk. Welp.

It's almost 1am when she decides she should leave and I have no idea how you ended up talking for 4 hours straight on that couch. By now you're fairly certain that you want her to be yours. You know you've only known her for a few days but you're seriously willing to try it out.

"I had a great night. We should do it again. Soon" she tells you as you walk her to the door.

"Definitely" you answer in a haze.

Emboldened by the wine, you decide to go for it and press your lips against her. She kisses back, cradling your neck with one hand. The kiss is slow and smooth and seriously perfect as your tongues softly glide against each other. You grab her denim jacket and pull slightly to get her closer. You must have been kissing for a good minute when she breaks the kiss with a shy yet contented smile.

"Ok, I really should go." she says, her cheeks flushed a delicious shade of pink. "I'll call you."

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you to the station?"

"I'll be fiiine" she laughs, squeezing my hand yet again before waving "bye".

"Bye."

"Holly sweet hell" you let out as you lean against the door and fast-forward the night's events in your head.

* * *

Saying that the day after is the day of the Great Inquisition would be an understatement. You find yourself being assaulted by questions, not only from Rachel but also from Kurt.

"How was it?", "Do you like her?", "Do you think she likes you back?", "Did you guys kiss?", "How was it?", "Are you going to see each other again?", "When?", "Are you guys officially dating?"

Right now you're so glad Dani didn't want you to open that second bottle because you're not sure you could have handled all of that while being hungover.

"Kurt, you should see her! She's gorgeous! And she seems really nice! And she makes Santana feel so intimidated it's so cute-"

"She does _not_."

"Why is Rachel fangirling over your girlfriend?" Kurt whispers to me with a raised eyebrow.

"I have no fucking clue. And she's not my girlfriend."

"Whatever."

You end up spending your Saturday in front of Grey's Anatomy reruns with Rachel at your side and your phone safely tucked into your pocket. You don't know if it's the whole "Dani euphoria" or the Calzona kissing scene on TV that makes Rachel switch into lesbian mode, but she suddenly asks:

"How does it feel like… to be with a girl?"

I turn towards her, perplexed.

"You mean sexually?"

"God, no! I mean, in general." she adds sheepishly. What kind of question is that?

"Well, I don't know… the same way you feel with guys I guess."

She nods, her eyes locked on the TV screen, though I'm really not sure this is the answer she was looking for.

"How did you first know you liked girls?" she asks again a few minutes later. Now this is getting very strange, even for Berry.

"If you've had weird lesbian dreams once or twice that doesn't necessarily make you a lesbian you know…"

"Santana! I'm being serious!"

"Alright… I think part of me always kind of felt it but didn't want to acknowledge it. But then with Brittany it felt like I couldn't deny anymore, you know? I mean, I basically wanted her in all the ways I thought I should want guys. And in any situation she always came first…"

She nods again and you can see the wheels turning in her head. You're seriously intrigued by now but your phone startles you as the familiar tune starts resonating in the room: an incoming call from Dani. You run to the bathroom for some privacy. She asks you if you want to go out with her that same night. Who are you to refuse her anything?

When you arrive at the bar she is already there. She welcomes you with a kiss and a bright smile and your night has kind of been made already. She tells you she used to sing here regularly and knows the staff pretty well. Maybe that's why she manages to get you free drinks after free drinks. Soon enough you both feel drunk and you discover she is a very touchy feely drunk, which you don't mind at all. When you two kiss at the counter, you get your fair amount of wolf whistles and even though you would have normally lashed onto the assholes who dared to do that, you're far too gone to even care. You see Dani give the finger in the direction of the noise as she leans for another kiss.

You go to another bar hand in hand, euphoric, and you think you'll never have enough of hearing her laugh. The blurry and shiny streets of New York city eventually guide you to some kind of club, and you're glad you had the idea of bringing the Rosario ID. You don't remember having to use it since Schuester's wedding in the spring. After ordering yet another drink, you both go for the dancefloor, totally inebriated. The club is so packed you end up literally grinding against each other. Her warm breath caress your neck as she pulls you even closer with a firm grip on your hip. You circle her neck with your arms and your bodies sway in rhythm with the music. Her dance moves drive you literally insane. It's so hot in this club, she is so hot. You end up face to face and she pulls you in for a kiss, all tongues and teeth. Maybe it's the alcohol, or the overall atmosphere, but that kiss makes you so damn horny you can barely take it.

"We should go" she tells you right there, apparently feeling the same.

So it's the second date and you somehow thought you'd try to take things slow but that girl seriously makes you break all the resolutions you could have possibly made. You tumble into her apartment, all tangled limbs and locked lips, and you laugh as she fumbles for the light. You both giggle as you try to remove each other's clothes in your respective states, losing balance more than once. Soon enough you are both in your underwear at the foot of the bed, before she pushes you on top of it with a devilish smile. She comes closer on all four before straddling you, hovering over your body, and turning the light off. The rest is a blur of your senses, as you two kiss, caress, lick and bite every ounce of skin available. Your remember the taste of her skin, the scent of her hair, the feel of her breasts and the sound of her moans as you eventually went down on her.

You fall asleep in a heap on the bed, too drunk and tired to even be able to process what has just happened.

You wake up barely three hours later with an unquenchable thirst and the terrible knowledge that your day will profusely suck. You fumble through the still dark room, groping your way around to get to the sink. After drinking your own weight in water, you go back to bed on shaky legs, and fall back asleep on the spot.

The sun is peeking through the blinds the next time you wake up, and Dani seems to be asleep next to you. At least that's what you think until you hear pained littles moans coming from her side of the bed. You understand she must feel as shitty as you do.

"Fuuck" she lets out with a hoarse voice, and you laugh because yes. She laughs as well before rolling towards you and nuzzling your neck. She throws an arm over your naked body, and you two fall back asleep once again.

The third time you wake up, it's almost 2pm and you see Dani in the kitchen area, which is basically just across the room. She's wearing an oversized plaid shirt over (you guess) a pair of underwear, her hair is wet and her face clean and nude. You are suddenly craving a shower too. She sees you are awake and smiles at you, asking if you want anything to eat. You see her eating eggs and bacon and your stomach growls with jealousy. You suddenly feel very aware of your nudity and she seems to realise as she tosses a very large tee-shirt at you.

When you're more presentable, you join her at the table and you eat in comfortable silence, casting knowing glances at each other every now and then. You look around the room and discover the apartment you didn't take time to really notice before. Grungy posters and black and white photographs are scattered here and there on the walls, the space feels somehow messy and girly in an underground kind of way. You like it. You take time to study her face too, when she is not looking. Her skin and eyes are bare, contrasting with the heavy eye-liner she was sporting yesterday. She looks absolutely stunning. You realise you really, _really_ like her.

You eventually shower and get dressed with the same clothes as yesterday, getting ready for the walk of shame. You really want to stay longer, but you've just spent your first night together and you really don't want to appear clingy or anything.

"So… last night was pretty great." she says at the door, averting her eyes as a blush spreads on her cheek.

"Yeah… it was…. interesting" you awkwardly say and her face drops, "No! I mean, in a good way-" She just seems confused now. Geez, get a fucking grip!

"-as in amazing. The night, and the sex. And, yeah..." God… you seriously want to burry yourself into a whole and never come back.

She must think all that crap is endearing because she can't repress a faint laugh at she feels your embarrassment.

"Good." She finally adds, running her hands over the wrinkles of your jacket. "I'm glad."

You kiss goodbye, very much sober this time, and it somehow feels important.

"I'll see you tomorrow at work then."

"You will" she answers with a smile, waving goodbye, and finally closing the door.

* * *

On Monday night you see her again at work. You don't know if you're supposed to kiss her, especially here, as you have no idea if she wants more than some casual hook up. She does kiss you however, and you still don't know what it means but you stay hopeful.

After your night shifts, she asks you if you want to go back to hers. It is a work day and you're both obviously sober and this feels suddenly quite serious and U-hauling material (in your head at least), which is crazy because you're not even official yet. Or at all. You let out a casual "sure", absolutely not representative of the bliss you're feeling inside.

Her place is tidier this time and you're pretty sure she's made the effort for you. The second time you have sex, it's more tentative and nerve-racking than that night when you were both wasted because you feel very much aware of absolutely everything. You try not to overthink it as it went just perfectly fine the first time around. And perfect it is here again. She's very gentle yet utterly confident, and you're both so tired from work but still have it in you to enjoy it to the fullest. She is seriously so hot, with tousled hair and parting lips, and even though you're still finding your ways around each other's body, she manages to make you come in a muffled and elongated cry. She leans over you with a smug look on her face and you smile, falling asleep as she knocked you out.

Before leaving, the following afternoon, she asks you if you'd like to be exclusive. You obviously answer with the affirmative, the mere idea of her being with someone else making you want to go all Snix on whoever would dare coming too close.

"_Guess who's got a GF, bitchezz_" you text Rachel, Kurt and Quinn as you walk back towards the subway station. Santana Lopez got her mojo back.


End file.
